Philadelphia Union bids adieu' to Freddy Adu

CHESTER — At long last, the Philadelphia Union and Freddy Adu have officially parted ways.

The club announced Monday that they have terminated Adu’s contract by mutual consent to allow his move to Brazilian club Bahia with Brazil international Kleberson moving in the other direction.

The technicalities, such as visa acquisitions for Adu and Kleberson, are still being processed.

“We would like to thank Freddy Adu for his service to the Union over the past two years and wish him the best of luck as he continues his career in Brazil,” Union manager John Hackworth said in a statement.

Hackworth revealed last week that the two teams were in the final stages of talks over a deal. Over the weekend, Adu traveled to Brazil to meet with the first-division club and, according to sources in Brazil, sign a pre-contract agreement.

“Very excited for this new chapter,” Adu tweeted Sunday, the first action on his personal account in over four months. “Thanks for all the good luck wishes and the continuous support!”

Hackworth made it clear when the Union opened training camp in January that Adu was not part of his future plans. The combination of low production (seven goals, two assists in 35 MLS matches) and a big price tag (a designated player spot and a base salary in excess of $500,000) made his retention undesirable.

The team opted to keep Adu on the roster while actively shopping him. Hackworth revealed last week that the Union had fielded offers from five continents for him, with deals in such disparate locations as South Korea and Australia having been offered.

In Kleberson, the Union receive a substantial piece in return. At age 33, the midfielder brings the type of high-profile, internationally-traveled persona that many MLS teams have regularly attracted but that the Union have shied away from.

Officially, the move is termed a “loan” deal, but that’s just to indicate that Kleberson will remain in Philly for the length of his existing deal, a two-year pact signed in July 2014 that will expire when he’s 35. Kleberson will occupy the DP spot vacated by Adu, which limits his wages’ impact on the salary cap.

“We’re excited to have a player with his kind of experience join an already talented roster,” Hackworth said. “Kleberson has had success at the world’s highest level of competition – both on a club and international level – and we hope he can add another dimension to our team.”

Tactically, Kleberson could provide depth and stability to a midfield that has struggled for consistency this season despite fueling two wins in three games. He should provide a creative force in the middle of the pitch and also brings a serious threat on set pieces.

The paths taken by Kleberson and Adu are eerily similar, even if their ages differ by a decade.

Kelberson’s success with Atletico Paranaense in his home country vaulted him to the 2002 World Cup squad at age 23, Adu’s age on arrival at Bahia. Despite starting the tournament on the bench, he eventually became a key piece to the world title run.

The success also furnished a big-money move to Manchester United. There, though, injuries and a skill set that didn’t quite fit into the Red Devils system made him widely regarded as one of the biggest busts in the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

He moved on to Turkish giants Besiktas where he enjoyed something of a renaissance, but he left two-thirds of the way through his three-year day to head back home, enjoying a successful five-year stint with Flamengo.

Adu also cut his teeth in the Western Hemisphere, albeit with labels like “prodigy” and “the American Pele.” His first European move to Portuguese club Benfica was a dud that resulted in four loan spells in as many years; the only tangible success he found was in Turkey with second-division club Rizespor.

He returned to home shores in 2011 on a free transfer after Benfica cut him loose, and it was his connection to former coach Peter Nowak that lured him to Philadelphia. But the less than a year after his arrival, Nowak was jettisoned in favor of Hackworth.

As the familiar script in Adu’s career – reality failing to meet expectations – unfolded again, opportunities became harder to come by and he became an expendable commodity in Philly.

For more on the Union, visit Matthew’s blog at uniontally.blogspot.com.